Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, guilty of lying

ORLANDO — Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, a jury announced in an Orlando courtroom Tuesday afternoon.

She was found guilty of lesser charges, including providing false information to police.

Anthony, accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008, faced several felony charges, including aggravated child abuse and giving false information about a missing person. But the most serious charge was first-degree murder, which would have carried a death sentence.

Casey sobbed after hearing the verdict, while the rest of the courtroom stayed silent.

Sentencing for the guilty charges will take place Thursday morning, the judge announced after the reading of the verdict. As the session came to a close, Anthony hugged several members of her legal team, many of whom were in tears.

The jury was picked in Pinellas six weeks ago. After several days of hearing the case, they began deliberations just after noon Monday. It was the first time the Pinellas dozen could finally talk about the case among themselves.

By Monday at 6:30, the jury had not reached a decision and returned at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to deliberate.